GM recalls more than half a million cars, SUVs

Ben Klayman

4 Min Read

The sign at a Chevrolet and Cadillac General Motors store is seen at a dealer in Wheat Ridge, Colorado February 6, 2014. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co said on Friday it was recalling 524,384 cars and sport utility vehicles globally in two actions dealing with potential latch problems and loose parts and would stop sales of two new truck models with potential air bag defects.

The latest recalls, which involve Cadillac and Saab SUVs and Chevrolet Spark small cars, bring the number by the No. 1 U.S. automaker to 71 this year, affecting almost 30 million vehicles. The highest profile is the recall of 2.6 million cars with defective ignition switches linked to at least 23 deaths.

GM also said it had told U.S. dealers on Thursday to stop selling the newly introduced 2015 Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-sized pickup trucks in advance of a recall to fix a potential air bag defect.

The company said it was recalling 430,550 Cadillac SRX and Saab 9-4X SUVs for possible loose joint and worn threads in the rear toe link assembly that could cause the vehicle to wander at highway speed and if it separates, increasing the risk of a crash.

GM said it was aware of three crashes and two injuries resulting from the problem.

Dealers will replace the SUVs’ rear toe link assembly as needed. The recall affects SRX SUVs from model years 2010 through 2015 and 9-4X SUVs from 2011 and 2012 model years.

Of the recalled SUVs, 290,107 are in the United States and the rest are vehicles exported to Canada, Mexico and other markets.

HOOD LATCH PROBLEM

The Detroit company also recalled 93,834 newer South Korea-built Chevrolet Spark cars because of a risk of the hood opening unexpectedly during driving, increasing the likelihood of a crash.

GM said it was not aware of any crashes, injuries or deaths from this problem, but in documents filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it cited two cases in the United Kingdom and one in Denmark where the vehicle hood opened while the customer was driving.

During its investigation, GM said it had discovered the suspect secondary hood latch failed a 10-year component level corrosion test in November, the documents said. By February, GM determined that the anticorrosion coating was deficient, and it began applying a different coating in late July.

GM’s investigation revealed 10 warranty cases in the United States with premature corroding of secondary hood latches, according to the NHTSA documents.

The cars affected by the recall are from model years 2013 through 2015.

About 13,000 of the affected cars are still at U.S. dealers and will not be sold until they are repaired, GM said. Of the cars recalled, 89,294 are in the United States, with the rest in Canada, Mexico and other countries.

Customers will be notified, and dealers will replace the cars’ hood strikers when parts are available, GM said.

In the case of the Colorado and Canyon, which went on sale last month, GM said deployment of the trucks’ driver-side air bags could be disrupted because of connections wired incorrectly during manufacturing. It said it was not aware of any crashes, injuries or deaths resulting from this problem.

GM said it had not determined the number of trucks to be recalled, but most are still at the Missouri plant where they were built, and only a small number have been sold.

The company said any affected vehicles were safe, but free loaner cars would be available by request.